Craigievar – The Hill Trail above the Pink Castle
About 2 miles on foot.
Craigievar's pink tower stands on a wooded hillside south of Alford, and two waymarked trails leave from its car park.
The longer of them, the Hill Trail, goes up through the estate's woods to a stone enclosure on the hilltop, with views of Lochnagar and Bennachie on the way round.
- Time
- An hour to an hour and a half: the Hill Trail, a waymarked round of 2 miles (3.2 km), easy to moderate with some hills. The Woodland Trail is ¾ mile (1.2 km) and 30 to 45 minutes.
- The path
- Unsurfaced woodland paths, steep in places on the Hill Trail.
- Where to start
- The castle's car park, where both trails start.
- When to go
- All year, in daylight.
- Dogs
- Welcome, kept under control at all times.
- Children
- Fine for children who can manage a hill.
- Before you set out
- There are picnic tables in the grounds, and a shop by the castle when it is open.
The walk
Park in the castle's car park, in the hills south of Alford. The Hill Trail starts here, a waymarked round of two miles that takes an hour to an hour and a half. It sets out by the orchard and kitchen garden, then climbs through the trees to a view of Lochnagar. On the hilltop is a circular stone enclosure, which an owner may have laid out to stand for a sacred grove.
The return is by Castle Wood, where birch, Scots pine and larch have been replanted since the old trees were felled in 1946. Bennachie and its Mither Tap come into view before the Forest Ride brings you down. The path is unsurfaced and steep in places. From mid October to March it's muddy and slippery after rain, and dark comes early.
With young children, take the Woodland Trail, three quarters of a mile by the beech-lined North Drive and the South Drive's Douglas fir, Wellingtonias and monkey puzzles, planted in the 1850s. It has a view of the castle, which keeps its own hours and tickets.
If it rains
There's no shelter but the trees. On a wet day take the Woodland Trail, the shorter of the two.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
For further reading, before you go.